Rightful Revenge
by Arasulgil
Summary: Sirius's hunt for Pettigrew after the death of Lily and James. For the IWSC


**A/N: Beauxbatons Year 5**

**Theme: Department of Magical Law Enforcement-shown by choosing to do the right thing/take the law into his own hands**

**Maroon(main prompt): ** **The maroon color is often used to represent intense and passionate things like; confidence, excitement, power, risk, passion, love, ambition, courage, strength, bravery, heroism, inner-strength, social status and courage. Most of these attributes are shown throughout the fic.**

**Additional prompts: Explosion, Auror**

**WC: 1 026**

The night was still, interrupted only by the quiet purr of his motorbike engine, which he had been too busy to silence. Something wasn't right; he could feel it. He hit the gas, forcing the bike to go faster than it was built for, tapping it with the tip of his wand every few seconds. The signboards lining the streets passed in a blur. He didn't care about them; he knew where he was going.

Ahead of him and slightly to the right, an explosion of green light erupted, powerful enough that the sky around it turned green. Screams, softer than normal under the roar of the bike's engine but still distinguishable in the still night air, cut through the darkness as a second explosion followed. This one was maroon, and to the casual observer, it looked smaller, but he could tell that it was far more powerful than the one before it. This was raw, untamed magic in a form so strong that it made the air sizzle for miles around it.

He rounded the last street and stopped in front of the house. It didn't look like an explosion had taken place there, and he refused to believe it as he pushed through the gate. The air smelled burnt, and he heard a baby wailing before he saw him: little Harry lay in the arms of a half-giant who stood in the entrance of the open door, kicking his legs and yelling. Lily and James had died inside. He pleaded with Hagrid to take Harry, but eventually, he was forced to yield . He was going to make Peter pay, even if it was the last thing he did.

He checked Peter's house first, unlocking the wards on the door easily. Peter had never been a powerful wizard, and Sirius's _Alohamora _took care of all the doors. He searched the house, starting in the bedroom. The room was small but bore signs of having been lived in; the walls were covered in a tapestry of maroon and gold Gryffindor hangings and empty spaces where posters had been torn down. Said posters were rolled up and clumsily shoved under the bed. They had pictures of Muggle bands on them. An _Aperacium _revealed a long black robe and skull-like mask in the wardrobe—the only thing Wormtail had bothered to conceal—which confirmed his suspicions. Wormtail was exhibiting his pureblood status, putting behind everything that connected him to the Muggle world, and had concealed a recognizable costume. The implications were clear enough.

He knew the authorities had been informed, but that wasn't enough for him. Peter had promised—vowed—to keep Lily and James safe. Sirius's own stupidity had killed them, and he owed it to them to kill Peter, at the very least.

Rage coursed through him, at his own ignorance, at the façade that Peter had undoubtedly maintained for so long, hiding behind lies and disguises. He was going to take the law into his own hands, his safety be damned.

"_Bombarda Maxima," _he said, feeling a vaguely comforting pleasure as the powerful explosion ripped the room to shreds

"_Appare Vestigium_." A maroon beam of light shot out of his wand, creating a faint but distinguishable path for him to follow.

_I'm coming for you, Wormtail._

His first stop was an old building that the Aurors had marked down as a possible haunt of Death Eaters. The Tracking Spell led him in. The wards here took some time, and he saw figures moving inside in the time it cost him. He opened the door with his wand in hand, just in time to cast a quick _Protego_ to counter the jinxes thrown at him. He ducked, slipping through the barrage of multicoloured lights, his Auror training kicking in. He got his head up long enough to identify the Death Eaters—Rudolphus and Crabbe—before he managed to hit them with a Full-Body Bind. That would buy him a few seconds. He ran along the narrow corridor, checking the rooms. There seemed to be no one else there. At the end of the hallway, he found a concealed door. Upon opening it, he found that it led out onto an alleyway. The streak of maroon light led through it. A patch of light on top of the wall shimmered as the Disillusionment Charm was removed: a gray rat turned into a man and Apparated in a flash. It was a frustrating setback, especially since the Tracking Charm would need to be recast.

After several days and nights of searching, the freshened trail of light eventually led him to the Leaky Cauldron. The Knight Bus stood outside, and a fat grey rat scuttled into it, throwing a knowing look at Sirius. The light beams seemed to wrap around it, and Sirius ran to it. Just as he was within arm's reach of the door, the bus took off. He didn't think. He just launched himself at the door rail and managed to grasp it. The bus travelled at an excruciatingly reckless speed, squeezing itself through tight spaces and taking corners with such a speed that all bystanders saw was a flash of maroon. The bus stopped in an area of Muggle London; an old lady got down, the rat at her heels. He followed the rat, running after it into a side-street.

He eventually cornered it and forced it into the man he loathed. Peter Pettigrew stood before him, blubbering empty apologies. "Sirius—I didn't do anything—I can explain…"

"Haven't you lied enough, traitor?" Sirius spat, feeling his face contort through the hatred he felt. Muggles were congregating behind them, some having just gotten off a double-decker bus behind them, but he didn't care. He felt his loathing for the creature in front of him as he glared at him.

He glowered at Pettigrew for what felt like ages, hoping he felt some remorse for what he had done, not noticing the other's subtle movements as he pulled his wand out of his pocket. Then, with a maroon blast that demolished the watching Muggles, the man turned into a rat and scuttled away.

Sirius laughed.


End file.
